03 Feb 2022

The management of Water Utilities Corporation (WUC) has cautioned consumers in the Lentsweletau cluster that the corporation  will be disconnecting those who have not been paying their bills starting February.

The organisation revealed during a consultative meeting with the sub-cluster leadership that includes Lentsweletau and surrounding villages recently.

Remarking on the status of the corporation, WUC Stakeholder Management and Communications manager, Ms Beauty Mokoba said currently consumers owed WUC about P1.2 billion.

Out of this amount Molepolole management centre which includes Lentsweletau sub-cluster, is owed over P33 Million for domestic use only and this figure accounts for 68 per cent of the total debt which stands at almost P49 million.

Ms Mokoba therefore urged consumers to service their debts in order to enable the corporation to render services efficiently.

She however highlighted that the country was faced with water supply challenges owing to erratic and low rainfall patterns.

She also explained that another reason that caused water scarcity in some parts of the country was that the population was sparsely spread mainly along the eastern corridor making water delivery difficult.

She further outlined some challenges that bedevil the corporation such as recurring droughts, climate change, low recharge rate of ground water and high water losses of up to 40 per cent due to deteriorated pipe network.

When giving an update of the water sutuation in Kopong/ Lentsweletau, Lead Engineer, Mr Lopang Seporo said the sub-cluster was supplied with water from underground sources.

He said there were 11 operational boreholes of which four were electrified while the rest used diesel driven engines or generators.

While water demands in most villages in this sub-cluster is met, he said, Lentsweletau, Sojwe, Kopong and Boatlaname relied on full time bowsing.

Therefore, he said inadequate service of reservoir storage at these villages led to prolonged pumping and consequently drying up of these boreholes.

Nonetheless, the corporation envisages to adapt water efficient systems, improve onsite storage for use during supply downtime as well as onsite recycling or water harvesting for non-potable use.

Some of the long term solutions in consideration among others is a move to smart metres and digital transformation.

Meanwhile Kgosi Morulaganyi Makgasane of Lentsweletau commended the corporation for considering to connect Lentsweletau to the North South Carrier pipeline, saying this would ease water shortage in the village.

Kgosi Rudolph Mojalemotho of Boatlaname said while he acknowledged that consultation was key, he said he was concerned at the frequency at which such engagements were held in order to update communities about ongoing projects.

However, some stakeholders raised concern that WUC took long to attend to water leakages. They also appealed to the organisation  to hasten to connect new residential plots since water demand was high owing to expansion of villages. ENDS